Broken Paradise
by TheRamblingsOfaMadWoman
Summary: The Ryan's are the perfect little family Jenny and Kevin couldn't be more perfect as parents to their little Sarah Grace but what happens when a serial killer is thrown into the mix... How easily could their piece of paradise fall apart?
1. Chapter 1

**Jenny**

A knock at the door woke Jenny up from her afternoon nap, it seemed like every time her little angel's eyes fluttered shut so did hers. Luckily the knock hadn't awoken Sarah Grace and she was still peacefully sleeping in her nursery. Jenny sleepily stumbled to the door peeping through the hole to see a normal looking man in normal looking clothes.

She was always cautious because of her husband's job but now with a baby in the house she was extra cautious and aware of who she was answering the door to. Not even bothering to unlatch the lock, she let the chain slide until the door was only open enough for her to see out into the hall or, as it seemed, the barrel of a gun to slide through the crack.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Ryan**

As the elevator doors closed Ryan allowed himself the luxury of a big yawn, he didn't like to let Jenny see how tired he was. He didn't want her to worry, she worried enough already and if she knew how exhausted he was she'd never let him leave the house. He smiled to himself at the thought of spending the day wrapped in a duvet on the sofa with his beautiful wife and daughter, his arms wrapped protectively around them, keeping his girls close to him, after all they are his life.

The ding of the elevator brought him back to reality, walking to his desk he almost banged into his partner. "Hey Ryan we've got a case, Beckett..." Esposito trailed off as he stared at his friend, Ryan looked down self-consciously then he realised why Espo was staring. His tie was in one big knot and not even close to his collar, as his tired fingers fumbled with the mass of fabric, he heard the chuckle of his partner disappearing further into the precinct. After making himself look presentable he followed Espo into the media room.

Sat there at her usual post was Tory Ellis, sat in her chair at the centre of everything in front of a TV typing away on a keyboard faster than anyone he'd ever known. She was the queen of media, and as usual Espo was flirting with her. Even though Ryan knew that Espo was in love with the gorgeous medical examiner, Lanie Parish, he still smiled when his friend went after the other woman. It was fun knowing he was one of the few people with the knowledge that if Tory actually paid attention to Espo's advances then he'd run a mile, because deep down he knew where his heart belonged.

"Look who managed to put his shoes on the right feet today!" Castle joked as Ryan wondered in.

"Dont give him too much credit his tie wasn't like that when he walked in." Esposito stated raising an eyebrow to Beckett.

"Still not used to the no sleep thing then Ryan, have you at least got boxers on under those baby stained trousers." Beckett inquired.

"I'll have you know that my morning routine has changed a lot. I prioritise other things over getting dressed, like making my wife a honey tea and checking on my daughter, making her milk and changing her nappy. Also ensuring my wife has as much sleep as possible."

"Alright Super Dad, we'll lay off" Espo teased.

"It's alright Ryan, I understand a lot changes when you have a baby in the house." Castle said. Beckett gave him a look that he didn't see but Ryan did, it was a wistful one which gave away that she was thinking about what it would be like when there were mini Rick's and mini Kate's toddling around.

"So back to the new case then." Tory said bringing them all back to their work, "Ryan, just to bring you up to speed, we have a serial killer called The Shooter. Original and clever I know, he's called that because after everything he does to his victims, which is everything from A-Z by the way, he just shoots them then leaves."

Whilst Tory was talking images of mutilated bodies kept popping up on the screen depicting all genders, ages and ethnicities the one and only thing they had in common was the bullet hole, execution-style to the left side of the head. There was a moment of shared silence when they saw the victims, a moment of respect.

"Any leads?" Beckett broke the silence, somehow she managed to take the tragedy and destruction from the images and turn it into strength, fuel and passion that drove her to making an arrest

"Not at the moment" Esposito answered reading from the file in his hands, something Ryan admired about his partner was that he would never get the facts wrong, even if it meant reading from a file instead of reciting off the top of his head as Beckett usually did. Both methods worked as well as each other, it was just a differing way of getting the facts straight. They all knew how important that was. Even Castle, who usually made fiction sound like fact, never covered up the vital information with his fantasies, instead he manipulated them into wacky ideas which gave much needed quirkiness and light to the darkness of their work.

"Do we at least have a physical description?" Ryan asked, he assumed that's why they were with the Tory in the first place because she had a picture of the bastard who killed so many people. On queue The Queen of Media clicked and typed to produce a pixelated image of a normal looking man in normal looking clothes.

"From the image I know he is a white male, aged between 30-40 years old, he is 6ft tall and has a manual job such as a carpenter." Tory said whilst bringing up more images.

"You got all that from these images?" Castle asked his eyebrows disappearing into his hair line, "there are only 5 of them and that could be anyone, hell that could be me"

"No he's much taller and has muscles so you don't have to worry Castle" Beckett teased, smiling at him.

"Your right you know he doesn't have my ruggedly handsome look" Castle replied getting a few tuts and sighs in response.

"I know all this because I have the technology to do so and his job is easy. His hands are worn and scared plus in this image he has a uniform on I checked with the company and they gave me a name-" Tory started to explain before Esposito opened his mouth to interrupt Tory held her hand up to stop him so that she could finish and answer the question she knew he was going to ask why didn't they already have him then?, "but his identity is fake so we can't track him and he's disappeared into the wind."

"You know me too well Espo said with a smile." Ryan got distracted by his phone buzzing, since Sarah Grace's arrival they had gone back to their original schedule of checking in with each other at least once everyday.

The text read:

_Hey Hun, probably won't reply for a while Sarah Grace is not napping well today, hop everything's ok. Love Jenny._

It was a bit odd for Jenny not to put any kisses and 'Hun' in short hand was not her style she usually just put Kev or cop or lately it's been Best Dad ever even though Ryan had never shared his worries of fatherhood with his wife, she had enough to worry about, she still seemed to have this secret way of knowing.

**Writer's Ramblings**

So I thought I'd uploaded 6 chapters turns out there's only one, whoops! You can tell I'm new to this, I'm going to upload a new chapter every Tuesday. Please review :)

I don't own anything.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Jenny**

With all her strength Jenny pushed on the door, using it as a shield against the gun, at first she thought she was going to get it shut leaving her and her baby safe but then there was a weight pushing on the other side of the door. Suddenly her feet were sliding around with a final push of the door Jenny was sent flying across the room her head smashing into the wooden coffee table. Her head throbbing and her vision blurry Jenny watched as a gloved hand reached through the gap, undoing the latch, the door swinging open as if it was betraying her. Letting this monster into her beloved home the place where she was meant to be safe. She wasn't safe now.

"Hello Jenny." A low male voice said, it sounded like he was underwater or maybe she was, maybe she was drowning and that was why she couldn't breathe "Or do you prefer Mrs Ryan now. Ah don't try to get up that's a pretty bad bump you've got there, your vision is probably swimming, can you see me Jen?" He moved quickly side to side like a snake he laughed as she tried to follow him but couldn't.

"What- wh-" the words wouldn't come they were racing through her mind, in her mind she was screaming at this man, "What do... You wa... Want!?" It wasn't a scream it was barely a whisper.

"I want to mess with the NYPD and you Jen are going to be my beautiful assistant." Whilst he had been talking 2 other men had come in they were dressed all in black as well Jenny couldn't see their faces the man in front of her was blocking her view.

"What is- Your name?" Even though her voice was coming back she still spoke quietly.

"You can call me... Serpent." There was a low laugh from across the room "and these two are Chris, the blonde and Wez the brown haired one"

"How come you get the cool name, that's not fair" Wez whined like it was a completely normal situation, Wez came across the room and picked Jenny up like she was a doll placing her roughly into one of her dining chairs that they had placed in the middle of the room adding the extra feature of zip ties to the wooden arm rests. Jenny put up a fight as Wez and Chris forced her hands onto the arm rests pulling the plastic ties until they felt like they were going to tear her wrists in half.

"There nice and comfy I will try not to get too much blood on your nice chair" the smile that spread across his face sent chills up her spine.

"Where's my daughter you bastard!" That time it was a scream but it didn't phase them, any of them, they smirked and glanced at each other.

"We've left her asleep don't worry we won't hurt her unless daddy does something he shouldn't do" his eyes shined with what looked like excitement but Jenny couldn't believe that it made her stomach turn too much to accept it. "Now I'm going to make you a deal, I am going to hurt you but don't look so worried Chris here is a doctor so if you pass out or lose too much blood then he'll sort you out. I also promise Jen not to lie to you."

"It's Jenny" she smiled when a look of shock passed over the Serpent's face before he composed the outburst of emotion "and I'm going to call you Tyler because you remind me of my weak ex-boyfriend, he was so full of himself and controlling but so weak and skinny that he never had any power. Just like you."

Once she was told that her angel was not going to be hurt Jenny's courage came back to her the pain was now partially gone only a low throbbing. Kevin had told her that if a bad guy ever got to her, to not be submissive instead match their strength, never let them have the upper hand.

She drew on this training now her mind running through possible escape routes if she had the opportunity the unlocked window in Sarah Grace's nursery was perfect she'd close the door and pull the chest of drawers in front of it them escape through the window. Simple. If only she could get out of the chair.

"Tyler huh, I can work with that. So Jenny shall we get started?" He emphasised her name, almost sung it like a purr rumbling from his throat, it made bile rise up in her throat. With a quick nod to Chris and Wez they set about putting cameras up but the little red light never went on, it didn't make sense, why have cameras if you weren't going to use them.

A shadow was cast over her before she could look up to see which one of the monsters it was. A fist collided with her left cheek she heard the smack of skin on skin the ringing started in her ears, another smack this time to her right cheek, then a crack as a foot smashed into her leg. She felt her bone snap from the sudden impact a scream tearing itself from her lips it was joined by the low rumble of laughter, they were enjoying this, they were enjoying hurting her.

"What do you think guys?" A voice said all three men gathered around the chair examining their catch, the dark purple bruises already blossoming on her cheeks and her right leg was bent funny.

"Not enough blood I don't think here I'll fix that" Chris announced, examining her face his breath heavy and hot on her cheeks making them sting, before slamming his fist into Jenny's nose causing blood to pour down her face, she could taste the copper on her tongue, "much better!"

They went to all the cameras and little red lights became visible all around the room they left the one directly in front of Jenny til last.

"Let's say hello to your husband shall we Mrs Ryan" Wez said

"Three..." The pain was overwhelming every one of Jenny's senses,

"Two..." She tried to think straight but her mind wouldn't cooperate,

"One..." The light turned red as the hell began.

**Writer's ramblings**

**Dun... Dun... Dunnnn!** So cliffhanger... mwhaaaaaaa. Please feel free to review :) plus shout out to the people who have been messaging me it's really motivated me so thank you!

I don't own anything


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

**Jenny**

With all her strength Jenny pushed on the door, using it as a shield against the gun, at first she thought she was going to get it shut leaving her and her baby safe but then there was a weight pushing on the other side of the door. Suddenly her feet were sliding around with a final push of the door Jenny was sent flying across the room her head smashing into the wooden coffee table. Her head throbbing and her vision blurry Jenny watched as a gloved hand reached through the gap, undoing the latch, the door swinging open as if it was betraying her. Letting this monster into her beloved home the place where she was meant to be safe. She wasn't safe now.

"Hello Jenny." A low male voice said, it sounded like he was underwater or maybe she was, maybe she was drowning and that was why she couldn't breathe "Or do you prefer Mrs Ryan now. Ah don't try to get up that's a pretty bad bump you've got there, your vision is probably swimming, can you see me Jen?" He moved quickly side to side like a snake he laughed as she tried to follow him but couldn't.

"What- wh-" the words wouldn't come they were racing through her mind, in her mind she was screaming at this man, "What do... You wa... Want!?" It wasn't a scream it was barely a whisper.

"I want to mess with the NYPD and you Jen are going to be my beautiful assistant." Whilst he had been talking 2 other men had come in they were dressed all in black as well Jenny couldn't see their faces the man in front of her was blocking her view.

"What is- Your name?" Even though her voice was coming back she still spoke quietly.

"You can call me... Serpent." There was a low laugh from across the room "and these two are Chris, the blonde and Wez the brown haired one"

"How come you get the cool name, that's not fair" Wez whined like it was a completely normal situation, Wez came across the room and picked Jenny up like she was a doll placing her roughly into one of her dining chairs that they had placed in the middle of the room adding the extra feature of zip ties to the wooden arm rests. Jenny put up a fight as Wez and Chris forced her hands onto the arm rests pulling the plastic ties until they felt like they were going to tear her wrists in half.

"There nice and comfy I will try not to get too much blood on your nice chair" the smile that spread across his face sent chills up her spine.

"Where's my daughter you bastard!" That time it was a scream but it didn't phase them, any of them, they smirked and glanced at each other.

"We've left her asleep don't worry we won't hurt her unless daddy does something he shouldn't do" his eyes shined with what looked like excitement but Jenny couldn't believe that it made her stomach turn too much to accept it. "Now I'm going to make you a deal, I am going to hurt you but don't look so worried Chris here is a doctor so if you pass out or lose too much blood then he'll sort you out. I also promise Jen not to lie to you."

"It's Jenny" she smiled when a look of shock passed over the Serpent's face before he composed the outburst of emotion "and I'm going to call you Tyler because you remind me of my weak ex-boyfriend, he was so full of himself and controlling but so weak and skinny that he never had any power. Just like you."

Once she was told that her angel was not going to be hurt Jenny's courage came back to her the pain was now partially gone only a low throbbing. Kevin had told her that if a bad guy ever got to her, to not be submissive instead match their strength, never let them have the upper hand.

She drew on this training now her mind running through possible escape routes if she had the opportunity the unlocked window in Sarah Grace's nursery was perfect she'd close the door and pull the chest of drawers in front of it them escape through the window. Simple. If only she could get out of the chair.

"Tyler huh, I can work with that. So Jenny shall we get started?" He emphasised her name, almost sung it like a purr rumbling from his throat, it made bile rise up in her throat. With a quick nod to Chris and Wez they set about putting cameras up but the little red light never went on, it didn't make sense, why have cameras if you weren't going to use them.

A shadow was cast over her before she could look up to see which one of the monsters it was. A fist collided with her left cheek she heard the smack of skin on skin the ringing started in her ears, another smack this time to her right cheek, then a crack as a foot smashed into her leg. She felt her bone snap from the sudden impact a scream tearing itself from her lips it was joined by the low rumble of laughter, they were enjoying this, they were enjoying hurting her.

"What do you think guys?" A voice said all three men gathered around the chair examining their catch, the dark purple bruises already blossoming on her cheeks and her right leg was bent funny.

"Not enough blood I don't think here I'll fix that" Chris announced, examining her face his breath heavy and hot on her cheeks making them sting, before slamming his fist into Jenny's nose causing blood to pour down her face, she could taste the copper on her tongue, "much better!"

They went to all the cameras and little red lights became visible all around the room they left the one directly in front of Jenny til last.

"Let's say hello to your husband shall we Mrs Ryan" Wez said

"Three..." The pain was overwhelming every one of Jenny's senses,

"Two..." She tried to think straight but her mind wouldn't cooperate,

"One..." The light turned red as the hell began.

**Writer's ramblings**

**Dun... Dun... Dunnnn!** So cliffhanger... mwhaaaaaaa. Please feel free to review :) plus shout out to the people who have been messaging me it's really motivated me so thank you!

I don't own anything


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Jenny**

_4 hours 30 minutes left._

Jenny thought she would never get back up again. She was still tied to the chair, her hands and arms aching. Chris walked over to her holding a black gym bag she couldn't help but flinch away from him. She jumped when the bag crashed to the ground, a smile spread across his face, he bent down and undid the rope around her left, the broken, leg. He pulled her jeans leg up as high as he could, the skin was a nice purple colour.

"Well there's definitely some internal bleeding but that may just be because of the way your leg was broken either way looks like it hurts like hell" he was right, it did hurt like hell, it was throbbing in time with her heart beat.

"Where did you get your medical training." She asked, she thought that any information about them might be valuable if she did make contact with Ryan or anyone from the team.

"Clever girl trying to get information out of me, sorry though love I won't break so easy" Chris replied, he looked as though he was actually impressed with her but that was probably just a trick of the light or his own pride coming through.

Whilst they had been talking Chris had wrapped his fingers around Jenny's lower leg, just below the knee, and now without warning he squeezed. And she screamed, screamed and yelled, tried to kick her legs and swore. It felt like her whole leg was going to be pulled off.

There was a final crack and he let go not before Jenny's foot collided with his crotch, he collapsed on the floor and, like her reeled off, a colourful array of swear words. There was a chorus of laughter from Tyler and Wez who were currently emptying out the fridge watching the show from a safe distance.

"What the hell did you do to my leg!" Jenny shouted, she dared move it but even the feeling of her jeans on it felt like a million nails being thrust into her skin.

"What did you do to my balls is the better question!" Chris yelled back, the yelling and commotion woke Sarah Grace her cries drowning out the yelling and laughing.

"Please let me see her." Jenny pleaded to Tyler, not only did she want to check on her angel but it was the perfect excuse to get into her nursery, to her only escape route. Wez looked at Tyler waiting for a command, with a short nod Wez disappeared into the nursery.

"No let me go to her" Jenny said, the mere thought of such a disgusting man touching her daughter made bile rise up in her throat.

"It's alright Wez is good with kids" with that Wez came back into the room carefully cradling a bundle of blankets in his arms. She was all patched up, meaning her leg being bandaged by a disgruntled Chris.

Tyler shock his head when Wes went to give Jenny her baby and even though she knew it would have been better if she had gotten into the nursery, and out of the unlocked window, she was happy that her little girl was being taken care of.

"She needs a change and food" she declared, much to Tyler and Chris' horror, they obviously weren't fathers themselves but Wez obediently received a bottle of milk and nappies. "Put the bottle in the microwaved for exactly 30 seconds, no longer or it'll be too hot."

Again Wez obeyed. Jenny liked to have some power again even if it was just a little. Wez disappeared into the nursery holding a bottle and nappies, she watched him go. She clenched her hands wishing they were around her baby girl. She yearned to see her husband walk through the door and save her, but he wouldn't, he couldn't. She knew that. He wasn't going to risk it.

"Time for some more fun now." Tyler sneered, having taken a step back when it came to Sarah Grace, he was obviously bored now.

"You can't it hasn't been 5 hours yet" Jenny said making sure she never broke eye contact with him.

"That doesn't matter, I just told your husband that you would be hurt after 5 hours, I never said that I wouldn't hurt you during those 5 hours. So would you prefer to have your teeth pulled out or have a few finger nails pulled off, it's your choice."

"Why would you hurt me after Chris patched me up?" Jenny asked, she was confused, if they wanted the NYPD to respond and do what they say then hurting her wouldn't help.

"Well he patched up your leg, but I was more thinking about giving you some medication for the pain. Let me just grab my bag of fun." Tyler picked up one of the black bags and placed it at her feet, he opened it allowing her to see the range off knives, needles, vials of liquid and guns. It did not look very fun.

He carefully picked up a needle and vial with a label that just had a bunch of letters on them, in a way she was glad she didn't know what it was. Once the syringe was half full he squirted a little out of the top giving the needle and flick before plunging it into Jenny's arm. As she watched it disappear into her skin she wished that she'd fought harder. Her vision swum and the world spun.

"Goodnight Jenny, see you when you wake up"

**Writer's ramblings**

So not a very long chapter, but it leads to a good chapter 7 (well at least I think it's good) plus I didn't want to forget about Sarah Grace. I also hope you enjoyed the kick to the crotch especially because Chris punched her in the nose.

I don't own anything


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Ryan**

_4 hours 27 minutes left_

Every time the elevator dinged Beckett stared until it emptied and disappeared again, she'd given up looking by the time Ryan rode the elevator back to the office, although the murmurs alerted her to his . It was a shock to see her friend covered in blood, it even scare her slightly, but she just silently watched with Castle and Espo as a Ryan reached into his draw and changed into a clean shirt. Once he looked like the normal Ryan again they all tried to act normal.

"Are you ok?" his partner asked.

"Yes" was the reply "I hit a wall." That was the only explanation needed, the detectives turned their attention to the white board that had been set up, on it was a picture of Jenny holding Sarah Grace instinctively and without realising Ryan reached out gently touching the photo.

"Gates said we have the whole of the NYPD at our disposal." Castle said trying, in vain, to comfort Ryan.

"There were 3 men that I saw we need names on all of them now." Ryan stated not taking his eyes off the picture "Esposito you do that, Beckett you go through old case files and I will go through the video to see if there is anything useful."

"I'll do that Ryan you-" Beckett started

"No I'll do it, it's my wife, ok" he didn't want to watch his wife get hurt repeatedly, but he felt as though if he watched it, his pain would match Jenny's and he wouldn't feel so guilty for not being able to protect her.

Ryan sat down at his desk as he opened the email and clicked the link, Ryan's heart sunk.

"And so it begins" he said to himself.

After the 10th time of playing the video Ryan gave up he had gone over every inch of it, no changes to the apartment, he knew they had come in through the front door as it was the only entrance apart from the windows and judging by the size of the three men they couldn't get through a window. He didn't know who the men were. All he knew was that they were armed. He couldn't go storming into his house and hope his wife or daughter didn't get hurt in the process.

"Should I call them?" Ryan asked himself, there was no one close enough to hear him anyway "no I can't do that it'll just make them more mad and they might react badly. Stupid idea!" As he said that he slammed his fist into the desk causing the wounds on his knuckles to open up again. Blood trickled out and covered the keyboard as well as his phone. He picked it up and used tissue to get the blood off, suddenly an idea struck him. "What if we get there mobile numbers from my house?"

Esposito heard him that time.

"What mate?" He asked sighing as he saw the state of his partner's hands. "Oh come on they only just stopped bleeding" he picked went to his desk draw and brought out some bandages and tape.

"What if we track the men's cellphones" Ryan repeated, reluctantly allowing Esposito to bandage his hand, "I have a wifi connection at my house, as soon as they walked in their phones would have connected"

"Isn't it password protected or something" Espo questioned, admiring his handiwork "and why would they want to connect to your rubbish wifi anyway, you can't even get internet in your house"

"Yes you can" Ryan argued, "and that's not the point, even if you don't know the password your phone still tries to connect which, if their phones aren't properly fire walled and protected, means that we can access minimal amounts of data off their phones"

"For a guy who knows a lot about technology you should be ashamed that you let your friends suffer with such rubbish wifi." Ryan shoved Javier playfully, knowing that he was teasing to try and take his mind off things, it worked but he didn't allow his mind to wander too far off topic.

With that he began typing away on his computer, connecting to his wifi at home to see if he could trace it. Ryan was known for being moderately tech savvy, more so than most people. Although Jenny did not have a love for technology hence a cheap wifi system that Ryan could easily use as a tracker without needing to enter special data.

"I've got it, there were three unknown phones trying to connect to the wifi at..." Ryan stopped mid sentence, he read the time over and over in his head "they got there 30 minutes after I left for work, I must have passed them, I might have seen them and I didn't do anything."

Espo could see the guilt creeping in to his friend's mind and he knew how dangerous it could be if guilt took hold, "you couldn't have known Ryan, you could sit here all day and play the what if game. What if you had taken the day off, what if you passed them in the hall, that doesn't matter now. What does matter... Is the fact that you can save your family from this, they need you ok so please don't disappear on me. You have to fight, ok."

Ryan's only response was to nod, it was funny how well Javier knew him, how he had so easily voiced Kevin's deepest thoughts and concerns.

"Now who are these bastards?" Javier said looking at the computer screen. There were 3 pictures one blonde, one brunette and one they already knew. "Oh god, that's the serial killer, The Shooter."

**Writer's ramblings**

If you don't know who The Shooter is you can go back to chapter 2 but basically he is the criminal the team are looking for in connection with some very brutal deaths. He does everything from A-Z with his victims then he shoots them. And what I mean by everything from A-Z is... Well you'll just have to wait and see what happens to his new victim, Jenny Ryan.

I don't own anything


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Jenny**

_4 hours 13 minutes left_

"Wait is she.."

"Ah finally I was getting bored..."

"She's falling back asleep again"

A sudden sharp pain fizzed on Jenny's skin. It was a slap.

"How much did you give her?"

"It's the blood loss"

"Don't be stupid she hasn't lost that much blood, yet. It's the trauma"

Another slap this time with enough force to makes Jenny's head swivel, to the left, her brain felt like it had come loose in her skull. She forced her eyes open, not wanting a slap to become a punch or worse, the bright light made her eyes sting and water.

Chris shone a light in her eyes, making her follow it. Seemingly happy with her, the light went out and Chris nodded.

"Hello Jenny, you've been out for so long thought you'd never wake up. Which would have been a shame because I quite like hurting you, much more fun than the people before you" Tyler said, "Now I'm gonna have some fun. Where shall we start…?"

Jenny pondered the idea that there were people before her, that meant they'd done this before, she tried not to think about whether those people were still alive or not. She looked down to see him running his hand over the assortment of weapons he had laid out on the floor. How had she not noticed them before, they were all over the place surrounding her, they came in all shapes and sizes but the one that scared her the most was the gun. It sat directly in front of her chair. She was used to having guns in the house because of Ryan, he even kept a gun in the bedside draw, but there was never the possibility of those guns being used on her.

"Tyler can I choose?" Wez said, he sounded like a child getting excited that he could choose what toy they wanted from the shop, Tyler nodded to him and with a Cheshire cat smile across his face Wez picked up a glinting object.

It ripped through her skin right to the bone.

She screamed out of shock then pain; agonising, terrifying, searing pain. The knife was slowly pulled out of her rib, she stared at her right side, the blood gushing. Drenching her top in crimson.

"You bastard. This is my favourite top" Jenny said, in a matter of a fact tone, no anger or sadness or even pain in her voice. She was glad that none of the emotions bashing around in her head had come through in her voice, but she was not sure she could finish another sentence without crying. The men standing in front of her were laughing. If it hadn't been for the pain it would have looked like a scene out of a movie, Jenny was the audience and they were the bad guys hurting the hero, but she didn't feel like a hero or even a sidekick. She felt like the damsel in distress and that wasn't a good position to be in.

"My turn!" Chris said going to reach for a bigger knife but he Tyler held him back, like a dog that had been told off he stood back up, head down. Tyler picked up a lighter and to Jenny's surprise pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, he light up he took a long drag, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on her. Wez and Chris got bored of watching the standoff and sauntered into the kitchen to finish off the rest of the food.

She wanted to say something, anything. Something witty, matter of a fact, mean even but all she could do was stare at the serpent in front of her.

"This is going to hurt" Tyler pressed the end of his cigarette into her arm, she refrained from screaming at him and never broke eye contact, "hm... You're one tough cookie aren't ya"

The pain ran up her arm and down to her finger, it hurt so much, but she wouldn't let it show. She was going to be strong for her little girl and for herself. She though they might get bored of hurting her if she stopped reacting.

After taking a few more drags of the cigarette he pressed it into her arm again, they were exactly in line, he smiled when she flinched and flexed her fingers. Her body betraying her. He picked up a knife that looked more like a thick needle.

"Don't be fooled by its appearance this knife is sharp and painful especially if it's heated." Tyler relight his lighter and held the knife over it. After a few minutes before bored of just holding it there and started looking at the other weapons but he seemed determined to use that particular knife on her. "Wez! Come and hold this"

"No way, not after last time." Wez held his hands up and refused to move an inch, curiosity got the better of Jenny but she resisted the urge to ask the story behind it. Chris rolled his eyes and went to Tyler taking the knife carefully from him so that he didn't burn himself.

Tyler stood up and went over to Jenny, he stroked back some of her hair, his breath against her neck Jenny resisted the urge to vomit all over him.

"This is only the beginning my Jenny darling"

**Writer's ramblings**

So please send me messages of your ideas, for what makes Wez scared of lighters/fire, through private message :) thanks for the reviews and follows!

I don't own anything


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Ryan**

_3 hours 20 minutes left_

"I need everyone searching for this guy real name remains unknown but code name, given to him by the media, is the Shooter" Ryan said to the NYPD precinct. Gates said they had access to everyone they wanted and Ryan used that to his advantage. As soon as Javier had told him who he was dealing with he had a purpose, someone to blame, a lead.

"Tory has five pictures of this asshole which we need to circulate through every other precinct, federal agency and anyone else that could help." Beckett said, she said asshole with spite and hatred, for Ryan it felt good to know that his friend was as angry as he was. The police officers facing him kept giving him sympathetic looks or avoiding eye contact all together but he didn't want their pity. He wanted his wife back, he needed them to be committed to the case and as passionate as he was.

"Look, this is going to take overtime and a lot of hard work but my..." Ryan paused, having all the attention on him and having to admit allowed loud his new, terrifying reality, was more daunting than he thought "my.. Um... Jenny and Sarah Grace are in the hands of this psychopath and his, friends. They could be hurt and if they're not already, they will be hurt if we don't fulfil this guys wishes or find them first."

"Detective Ryan. I need to talk to you" Gates said from the door of her office, Ryan followed her back in but as she shut the door and sat behind her desk he knew this wasn't going to be a fun conversation.

"We cannot afford to let criminals out of jail" Gates stated, the matter of a fact tone she said it in was a hit to Ryan, there was no sympathy in her voice, she acted like this was just another case.

"That's not good enough. It's my wife and daughter that are in trouble Gates, they need to be saved and in order to do that we need to let those criminals go."

"I can't detective, I just can't, my hands are tied. I understand that-"

"NO! No you don't understand. No one could understand the pain I am going through right now. Every moment I'm not with her, my wife could be getting hurt. My baby could be crying for me but I'm not there." He shouted and raised his voice then whispered "She could be..." Ryan didn't need to finish the sentence the word dead hung in the air mocking him for being so weak, for not being there as a father or husband, for letting them down.

He glanced one more time at Gates and before she replied he went to the door and slammed it behind him. Slumping down at his desk, the glass in Gates' office wasn't soundproof, everyone heard him shout luckily no one heard his last comment. Javier, Beckett and Castle didn't react or go over to him. They gave him the space he needed then when Ryan started swinging on his chair his partner stood up and got the attention of the precinct again.

"We can't get the men we need out of jail." Hearing it out loud made the hole in Ryan's heart ache more "we need to find another way to get Mrs Ryan out of that house, work every angle and scenario, if it involves risking Jenny's life don't even bother mentioning it"

The officers dispersed and as they went about their work they all whispered and gossiped. Some were whispering words of sympathy for Ryan and questions about how they were going to get his family out safely. There were even a few whispers about the Shooter and what he did to his other victims but no one dared talk about that too loudly, they feared Ryan would hear them, but even so Javier would give them the disapproving look he had been giving everyone who even mentioned the risk of Jenny and Sarah Grace being hurt. He even took Officer Hinesburg to one side, because she gossiped too loudly about what might happen to Ryan's family, she was the gossip queen of the NYPD.

"It will be ok Ryan I promise." Castle said giving his friend a sympathetic look. The writer had been contributing to the research and discussions but he kept himself busy mainly by making coffee and honey tea for Ryan. Most of which went untouched, on his desk, but still the action calmed Castle and let Ryan know that he was there for him.

"Don't pity me Castle. And how, how can you promise that everything's going to be ok. This isn't one of your make believe stories, this is real life, not everything is perfect and happy endings! We don't have a plan. We can't get them what they want. Even with the whole precinct at our disposal we can't get in their safely. So don't tell me everything is going to be ok just because you say it is" Ryan knew his spiteful words were hurtful and even though Beckett gave him an angry look he ignored it and went towards the elevator. Thinking that it was a better idea to take his anger out on a wall than a friend who was only trying to help.

**Writer's Ramblings**

For anyone who has read the Castle book series, they're the Nikki Heat series written by Castle in the TV series, their good, but back on track Officer Hinesburg is a character in the books.

I don't own anything


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Jenny**

_2 hours 42 minutes left_

She screamed and screamed and screamed. She didn't care if she got slapped or kicked or cut with another knife she was desperate. Someone had to hear her. Someone had to help her.

"For god's sake woman, SHUT UP!" Chris shouted at her, slapping her again. "For the last time no one can hear you! We put rung your neighbours and told them not to go back to their homes for 24 hours, official police business and all that."

She didn't care, she knew they probably weren't home anyway, but screaming made her feel better. Even just the look on the men's faces when she got the to full volume of her screams how they cringed and backed off before landing a punch or kick on her.

"Enough" Tyler held the gun at her forehead, that made her stop. She looked at the piece of metal then back at the devil holding it. He was smiling. He'd gotten the power and control back.

"You can't kill me the times not up yet" Jenny stated, she was exhausted and her mind was to tired to feel the full effects of the fear that was gripping her soul.

"You know what love. I don't think I'm going to get my friends out anyway so might as well put an end to this now. Let detective Ryan come home to find his wife and child dead." The mention of her little angel fuelled the fear inside her, suddenly she was paralysed as her mind unwillingly played over images of her baby girl being hurt. She shook her head violently trying to rid her mind of the horrifying images.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her you bastard or I'll-"

"Or you'll what scream us to death. Glare at us. What are you going to do Jenny?" Wez mocked "your tied up in a chair, your powerless and defenceless we can do whatever we like"

"My husband will throw you in jail. Or better yet but a bullet through your brains" Jenny knew that Ryan was coming for her, she only wished that he'd hurry up. She'd tried to wriggle out of the ropes until her wrist bled and she couldn't even move her legs.

"Tell you what. I really want to meet this husband of yours, you know face to face. Let's get him here shall we?" Tyler lowered the gun and placed it back on the floor with the other torture devices they had laid out.

He retrieved a camera from the corner, carefully setting it up aiming the lens at Jenny. The little red light went on for the second time that day.

"Hello again Kev, as you can see your wife is well... She's in bit of a pickle really. Oh and yes that is all of her own blood, yes we have hurt her and no we're not afraid to do it again." Tyler said from behind the camera, Jenny tried to look strong but knew she was failing so she instead decided to glare at the men in front of her.

"Your wife is a lovely hostess by the way. We've been well fed and watered. She on the other hand has not had a chance to eat or drink anything today, I suppose she must be very hungry. Why don't you ask that nice medical examiner of yours to tell you how long a person can last before dehydration sets in, that'll be a good fact to know. We wouldn't want your wife dying on us before you get a chance to swoop in and rescue her, now, would we." Tyler stood just off camera, arms crossed, saying those words as if he was having a conversation with someone at the pub not talking to a camera while a bleeding woman sat not 3 feet away.

"If our clocks are correct you still have 2 hours left Kev, that has now halved, you have one hour to deliver who I want or your wife and daughter die. Have a nice day."

**Writer's ramblings**

Yes I did just do that, I'm afraid.

I am so sorry this is a day late stuff got in the way again and I can't promise there will definetly be another update next week, sorry

I don't own anything


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Ryan**

_1 hour left_

Ryan didn't even make it to the elevator before he heard the gasps again. He turned around to find his nightmares coming true again. On every screen was his wife, his beautiful Jenny, but the first thing he noticed this time was the blood. She was covered in it. There was a patch on her side, her face was dripping red from multiple cuts like she had been punched. Her cheek was purple and so was her left eye. She looked broken.

A voice spoke but Ryan didn't hear it. It was the man again, the man he now knew was the infamous serial killer, the Shooter. Once he had etched every single detail of Jenny's injuries he focused his attention on her surroundings. He saw a semicircle of weapons surrounding her, it was a stark contrast to the usual toys surrounding thought of the different ways he could kill her kidnappers with those weapons. Only near the end of the video did he actually listen to what the man was saying.

"If our clocks are correct you still have 2 hours left Kev, that has now halved, you have one hour to deliver who I want or your wife and daughter die. Have a nice day."

Everything seemed to stop in that moment. All the fear, anger, frustration, worry and desperation that had been coursing through Ryan's veins froze. His body went numb and heavy. The words rushing through his mind over and over and over again. Taunting him. Telling him that he couldn't save his family, that he was a failure. That when he left his house that morning he should have kissed his wife goodbye, because when he went through the door, he signed their death warrants and handed them to the psychopaths that now held them captive.

When he looked up to see that Beckett, Esposito and Castle were all heading towards him, his body turned on to autopilot. He slammed his fist into the elevator button and even though his friends were getting closer he chose not to take he stairs. Fearing that he would collapse after the first step. He got in to the empty elevator, the doors closing just in time to see his colleagues worried faces. The urge to go to his house and shoot the bastards was strong, so strong her even considered it. Planning how he would do it but as he played the scene in his head he knew that it could only end in his family being hurt. He couldn't and wouldn't take that risk. He walked to the alley for the second time that day but ended up not hitting the wall, as he had done before, but instead slumping against it. As his body fell to the solid ground his mind let in the flood of emotions. His body shock with sobs, his shoulders uncontrollably shaking, tears pouring down his cheeks. Like a child he lifted his knees to meet his chest, hugging them as a child would a teddy bear. Ryan stayed like that, consumed by emotion, until he was too numb to feel anything.

**Writer's rambling**

I feel so guilty for hurting my favourite character but it is kinda cool to have him express that amount of emotion as in the show he is not so expressive.

I don't own anything


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**Jenny**

_1 hour_

"You bastard!" Jenny screamed at them. "How could you do this!"

"Well it was very easy actually Jenny, Tyler just said some words and poof. You're husband has one hour to save you" Wez answered in a sarcastic tone. Jenny had started crying at some point she felt the tears trickling down her face.

"Now we have to get ready for our guests" Chris stated, he was already looking around the room.

"Shall we gentlemen" Tyler sneered, he disappeared behind her, coming back with a black bag. He deliberately placed it where Jenny could see, he opened it to show that it was full explosives.

"What are you going to do with that?" Jenny asked, she had to know, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"What do you think we're going to do with it?" Chris answered

"You know it's rude to answer a question with another question" Jenny said back, getting annoyed that they were confident and cocky whilst she was weak and vulnerable. None of them answered her instead they went about setting up trip wires across every door and window, even in the nursery. It took Wez and Chris to bring another bag over, the rattling noise made Jenny's stomach turn.

They opened it up. It was guns. A variety of guns; big ones, small ones, there were even, a few knives shining in the light. That's when a hard truth shocked Jenny to her very core. She might die. For some reason the idea hadn't crossed her mind, even when she was being beaten, stabbed and screaming in pain, she held out that she was going to live.

"I want you to at the windows. You see movement you shout but don't shoot until I say so, got it. The police will come in one go they'll hit hard but carefully our task is to put the power into our court. We need to make sure that Dectective Kevin Ryan gets into this room, doesn't matter if he is with other people but we need him in here when it all goes down." Tyler sounded like he was narrating a story.

Guns were set up around the house, some hidden and some in plain view. All 3 men pocketed knives and bullets, the sounds of guns clicking enveloped the room. Jenny's chair was moved to the back of the room away from the door and out of sight of the windows. The men took their positions.

It wasn't a story, it was a war.

**Writer's ramblings**

So that was dramatic, really got into this chapter, gotta love a bit of drama ;) so sorry it is short but next chapter will be short too then it will get longer. The next chapter will be uploaded early, on Friday, to make up for being late on some chapters plus I'm excited for you guys to read it...!

I don't own anything


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Ryan**

"Ryan." He looked up to see Espo blocking the sunlight from the alley. Ryan could see his partner's eyes checking him for injury, then he simply sat down next to him as if it was a completely normal situation.

"It hurts." It sounded weak and stupid but it was the only thing that Ryan could think to say.

"I know mate, but we'll get her back I promise." The determination in his eyes almost made Ryan believe it for a split second before reality kicked in again.

"Don't make promises you can't keep Javi"

"I'm not. Your daughter and Jenny will be safe and sound soon, I give you my word." With that the conversation was over, they needed to get back to work, Espo stood up giving Ryan his hand and pulling his friend to his feet. It felt good to have someone who he could rely on so much, everything seemed a little more hopeful from then on.

As the elevator doors opened they could hear Beckett giving the team the low down.

"We are going to have a full tactical team storming that place, but we need to do it carefully. Jenny and Sarah Grace are our main priority if we can get these men alive and throw their asses in jail then great but if they leave in body bags that's not a problem either."

Kevin couldn't decide if he'd rather the kidnappers in handcuffs or body bags although he was pretty sure that if they hurt Jenny or Sarah Grace they would end up with bullet holes in them either way. With the talk over the officers took action all preparing for a rescue mission, there was a snap as guns were loaded and ripping of velcro as bullet proof vests were picked up and put on.

...

It was a sight to behold, a sea of blue, red and white. The whole NYPD police force was parked outside Ryan's building. If he didn't feel like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders he would have laughed at the sight. When Sarah Grace got older he always imagined taking her out in a police car, letting her press the sirens on and seeing a little smile spread across her face would make Ryan's heart swell with pride. The thought of that opportunity being ripped away from him fuelled his anger. It wasn't likely that they would hurt his daughter but he couldn't shake the feeling that something awful was about to happen.

As it was Ryan's house he was in charge of placing people where they were needed, he said that no one should even attempt to use their neighbour's fire escape as a vantage point as they had installed high tech motion sensors outside their windows to stop people from breaking in when they were out, which was an awful lot. Beckett made the executive decision that they should get everyone on Ryan's floor out and onto the streets but do it very quietly even if it took a long time.

"Better to have a clear path to get your family out safely than having to worry about civilians" she informed Ryan, he watched in anticipation as his neighbours spread onto the streets in droves, they were all escorted by police to the park across the road. A few of the elderly residents took longer to get out so after 10 painful minutes the NYPD were ready to take positions. Castle took his position next to the ambulance, with strict instructions to be ready when they came out to deal with any injuries, even he could tell it was a useless job but he needed something to do and truth be told a Ryan didn't rust that the paramedics would be ready quick enough but he trusted that Castle would be.

"Your also in charge of my daughter Castle, do not let anyone take her away from here, she stays with you and only you. I don't trust that my neighbours can look after her and even though I trust the officers around us I-" Ryan rambled.

"It's ok Ryan, I will take care of Sarah Grace, she'll be safe with me." Castle replied putting a comforting hand on his friends shoulder.

Ryan split the team up. Espo had a team of 10 that were to wait around back, Beckett with another 20 were to at the front while himself and 5 other officers went through the nursery window. He hoped that it was unlocked but if not it wouldn't take much to break the latch.

The radios informed Ryan that everyone was ready. He knelt next to the window releasing a sigh of relief when he saw Sarah Grace tucked, safely, into her cot. Then he grasped the window and prayed, it opened easily and quietly, he made the other officers wait outside as we went in. Just as Ryan was about to put his boot on the window sill another officer pulled him back forcefully. As Ryan collapsed onto the other officers, glaring at them, he realised why they had acted so irrationally. Faintly he could see a trip wire.

Carefully leaning in he saw that it was the only one but he panicked when he saw the amount of explosives that one trip wire was connected to, it was enough to take out the entire room. As slowly and carefully as he dared Ryan climbed inside, ignoring the suggestions of going in a different way. He could see his daughter and he wasn't about to leave her in a room with explosives. Straight away he picked up his angel and hugged her close, he was in tears by the time the female police officer managed to convince him to hand the bundle of blankets over.

"We're in. Sarah Grace is safe. The window was wired with explosives, I repeat the house is probably wired with explosives" If Gates was listening she would have tutted at the fact that he left the most vital piece of information to last but to him, his daughter's safety was the most vital piece of information.

Ryan signalled for the other officers to come through the window when the door to the nursery was wrenched open. He looked up to see the barrel of a gun pointing right at his head.

"Don't move or I shoot, got it"

**Writer's ramblings**

Sarah Grace is safe, phew, it feels good.

I don't own anything


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**Jenny**

She heard the shuffle of footsteps from the nursery and prayed that the other men couldn't hear them, but the way that Chris tilted his head towards the sound proved her wrong. He picked up a hand gun and went to the door he waited, ear pressed against the door and then wrenched it open. Aiming the gun right between her husband's eyes. Jenny saw the flash of fear cross his face at the initial confrontation but he soon looked confident and in control, a skill that Jenny wished she possessed. She tried it now sitting as straight as her restraints, on her wrists and ankles, would let her. The gag was biting into her skin causing her breathing to become laboured she knew it was pointless trying to hide her fear so instead she focused on exuding stubbornness, a trait she naturally inherited from her family but one she hadn't put into practise in a little while. She hoped that she looked some what put together as Chris gestured for Ryan to come into the room. Chris deliberately made it so that Ryan had his back to her, she didn't even think he'd noticed her presence yet. 5 more police officers made their way into the room, hands up in surrender.

"Welcome everybody to our humble abode" Tyler said clapping his hands together "how many of you are there?"

"Just me and the 5 officers with me" Ryan answered Jenny could tell he was kyung there was a slight crinkle in his forehead that he got whenever he concentrated, she only hoped that there was a force outside though doors.

"Oh really" Chris scoffed

"So outside this building there is not the whole NYPD standing outside ready and waiting to have a shoot out?" Tyler looked outside one of the windows, from Jenny's place she couldn't see the flashing lights but that didn't mean they weren't hiding around the corner. Ryan didn't answer, he didn't even move, just stared at her. She looked back at him and glanced at the nursery, Ryan nodded very slightly, their daughter was safe.

"Here's what's going to happen, you are going to call off the dogs, if I see a cop you and your wife die. Do you understand?" Tyler stated his demands with confidence and ease, he was obviously not bluffing the mere fact that he had risked hurting Jenny before the 5 hours were up showed that they weren't afraid of the police. Ryan took out his phone and pressed a button, he put it on speaker. The ringtone could be heard just outside the front door, so they were here, Tyler looked slightly shocked. All 3 of them turned towards the front door.

"Javier!" Ryan shouted. There was a bang as the back door burst off its hinges and in flooded a sea of blue. The police opened fire as did Wez, Chris and Tyler.

Ryan launched himself at Jenny using his body to shield her from the rain of bullets. As he undid his bullet proof vest there was a resounding bang of a gun. It sounded like the rest of the guns going off but for some reason Jenny heard this one louder and clearer than the others.

Then she noticed the red dots on Ryan's clothes and face she looked down at herself and saw the same. Her gut reaction was to check her husband for wounds she searched and searched for any signs of a wound but couldn't not find one. Then she felt a hand touch her, Ryan had his hand over her neck, he looked so scared.

"Ryan I'm fine." her voice was so weak and vulnerable.

"No Jenny your not." She looked into his crystal blue eyes and felt safe until the wave of pain hit her and her screams joined the sounds of guns.

**Writer's ramblings**

Yeah it's not quite an easy hero rescue.

I don't own anything


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**Ryan**

He froze. His body, mind and soul froze in that moment. He might lose his wife.

Ryan turned around to see Beckett and Esposito still standing, they each had some bumps and cuts but they looked fine. Wez, Chris and Tyler however were surrounded by pools of blood.

Once Espo had opened fire Wez was the first to die, hitting the floor with a total of 6 bullets in him, Chris and Tyler ducked for cover. Chris tried to use some of the explosives they had set up around the house but once Beckett's team joined the party he didn't have a chance to set it off. Tyler however took his chances, squeezing the trigger of an automatic rifle and aiming it in the general direction of the officers, he destroyed most of the house in one foul swoop. He managed to injure 11 of the officers but nothing too serious, the bullet proof vests taking most of the hits. It was Beckett and Espo who killed him, Espo engaged in hand to hand combat him and succeeding to smash his head against the counter multiple times, then Beckett put a bullet through his head when he reached for another pack of explosives.

It was over. The bad guys were dead, the good guys won, well most of them. Jenny was losing a lot of blood through the bullet hole in her neck and as much as Ryan tried to stop the bleeding the red liquid just kept pouring out of her. He tied his tie around the wound then his waistcoat was pressed into the oozing wound. Esposito and a Beckett soon realised that he wasn't celebrating and ran over to help him. They screamed for paramedics and for everyone who wasn't injured to vacate the room.

Soon hands were on Ryan's shoulders, prying him off his wife, a soothing tone in his ear told him it was going to be ok. Jenny was efficiently bandaged and placed on to a stretcher in a matter of minutes. Ryan reached his bloody hands towards her pale skin but he only managed to tough her lightly before she was whisked away by strangers who were saying a bunch of words he couldn't understand.

Still numb Ryan shock off the hands holding him and followed his wife to the elevator, once he realised he wasn't going to fit he took the stairs, only faintly acknowledging the footsteps behind him. The bright sun blinded him as he fell onto the street watching Castle be pushed out of the way as people piled into the ambulances. Somehow Ryan found himself in front of Rick holding his arms out, not uttering a word, but Castle took one look at him and just handed him his daughter.

"What happened?" Castle asked as Beckett and Esposito joined them.

"Don't know, think Jenny got shot at some point during the shoot out, to be honest it all happened so quickly I'm not even sure where she was hit" Beckett answered him, Ryan was too focused on his daughter's sleeping face to notice the looks he was getting from his friends.

"Drive me to the hospital." He said to no one in particular, he headed towards his car. On autopilot he put Sarah Grace into her car seat and transferred it to a police car he didn't care whose it was as long as it got him to Jenny quickly. The seatbelt kept slipping from his blood soaked hands but eventually his daughter was strapped in safely in the back seat with him in the passengers seat. He stared at the dash board. After a couple of minutes Espo got behind the wheel, Beckett and Castle in the back, the deafening sirens allowing them to catch up with the ambulance.

"Kevin are you alright?" his partner asked, Ryan looked up at his friends profile, after taking a couple of steady breaths he replied.

"No." The simple word seemed to reflect all of his pain, anger, sadness and desperation in one go. He looked like a hero, strong and courageous, covered in the blood that showed he had fought in a battle, but he felt broken. He wasn't Kevin Ryan, husband, father and police officer. He was Kevin Ryan a man whose whole world was falling apart around him and he was falling too.

They reached the hospital. Ryan was the first one out of the car, he tried to follow Jenny into the hospital but the nurses held him back making up excuses for why he couldn't see her. Beckett and Esposito took him by an arm each and walked him into the waiting room, Castle following carrying Sarah Grace in her car seat, blissfully unaware of what was going on around her. With a heavy thud Ryan sat down in one of the horrid green chairs, silently his friends sat in the chairs around him.

It was quiet for a good 10 minutes before Javier placed a hand on his friends shoulder giving him a slight shake.

"Do you want anything to eat or drink Ryan?"

"No."

"How about a glass of water?" Beckett added looking worried.

"No."

"She will be fine Kev" his partner said, it made Ryan look up, the first movement he had made since arriving at the hospital. He looked into his friends eyes, they were creased into a sympathetic look. That's when Ryan slammed his fist into Javier's nose.

The cracking sound was very satisfying and the blood trickling down Javier's face should have made Ryan feel guilty but he didn't, instead it made him angrier, he stood suddenly feeling the need to move around.

"You promised Javier, you gave me your word that my wife and daughter would be 'safe and sound soon' those were you exact words!" Shouting made him feel better, it meant that there was a noise other than gun fire ringing in his ears "I let them hurt her while I stood in the precinct and did nothing. I took my anger out on a wall when I should have been slamming my fists into their faces and squeezing the air out of their lungs with my bare hands. I left my daughter in a house with murderers when I knew what they were capable of, my wife was hurt by them because I was too weak to rescue her and I set up the plan that got her shot. She's... she's lying in that hospital bed because of me."

Ryan collapsed onto the floor, his whole body shaking, tears rolling down his face. He didn't have the energy to stand anymore. He only had enough energy to take ragged and quick breaths in between gut wrenching sobs. Javier knelt in front of him.

"It should be me lying in that bed. I can't lose her Javi. I can't live without her"

"It won't come to that Ryan, plus you have a daughter to look after"

"How am I going to take care of her, after today. Hasn't today already proven that I'm not worthy of a family. That I can't protect the 2 people I love most in the world. I endanger them. Those men came after them because of me."

"What are you talking about!" Beckett exclaimed she was crying too, she was hugging Castle for comfort, she joined Espo and Ryan on the floor now. She looked him directly in his eyes and said "You are the best dad and husband I know. You work so hard for your family and I could never imagine anyone who deserves to have a family as much as you Ryan. You deserve to be happy."

"Those men would have gone after anyone and everyone if they thought it would get them what they wanted." Castle added "It just happened to be your family. Not because you can't protect them but because they were there."

Their words were somewhat comforting to Ryan. They gave him the strength to sit up again and make it back to the chair. He stopped crying for a few seconds but as soon as Beckett pulled him into a hug he cried again until he felt numb. It felt better to be numb than in pain. He was scared that if he let himself feel the pain too much his friends words and support wouldn't be enough to put him back together again and like Javier said he had to be strong for his daughter.

"Mr Ryan" a man in a white coat appeared from a room. He had a clipboard with him and was flicking through the pages as he made his way to the crowd of anxious faces.

Ryan felt himself hold his breath.

"Jenny has endured some serious injuries. Our main concern right now is the bullet wound, it hasn't hit any major arteries but there is a knife wound and multiple bruises and cuts. The blood loss alone is alarming but it also seems that your wife's leg was broken but then fixed and bandaged."

"Will she live?" It was the only thing Ryan could think to say.

"Only time will tell, she seems strong, but we will make her comfortable all the same" the doctor said bluntly "Although there could be some psychological damage such as nightmares and depression. Will you be able to deal with that?''

"Yes" Ryan answered, the doctor looked suspiciously at him, he had seen himself in the reflection of the glass as he came into the hospital he looked like hell.

"He will have help from us doc" Castle reassured him, picking up Sarah Grace to prove his point. The doctor nodded and led them all into Jenny's room. Just seeing how pale she was, was enough to make Ryan feel as though he was going to throw up. He made his way to the side of the bed, taking his wife's hand in his as carefully as he could, he took in her injuries. Her cheek was purple, her lip cut, bandage around her neck and leg. The light that usually shone from her very soul was dim.

"l love you." he leaned over, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead "everything is going to be ok, I promise." Ryan moved the wires as he sat gingerly next to her, carefully and slowly, he lay next to her resting his arm around her placing, her head on his shoulder. He'd missed the comfort of having her next to him Castle placed Sarah Grace between her parents she smiled up at them. He kissed her nose and the sound of her giggle filled the room, small smiles spread across the faces of his friends but Ryan couldn't manage a smile, not until his wife was well.

**Writer's ramblings**

I love the Castle and Ryan friendship, their always on each others side, plus Castle is the only one with proper baby experience so he's the perfect baby sitter. I hope this was emotional cause I wanted it to be sad and for you to feel really sorry for Ryan.

I don't own anything


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**Jenny**

Jenny felt like she was floating it wasn't the good type of floating either she didn't feel relaxed and serene her whole body was tense. It felt as though if she relaxed she'd drown, but then there was something solid beside her, she grabbed hold of it with all her strength. As she became more conscious of her surroundings she felt a gentle kiss on her forehead, it was Ryan, she didn't know how she was so certain, but she was. He husband was with her.

"I love you" it was a little whisper but she heard it. She opened her eyes a small amount, the light burned her eyes, she tried again.

"Did you see that I think she opened her eyes"

"Ryan the chances of that happening so soon are... Wait I think she did it again" this time Jenny managed to get her eyes open and keep the open she looked around her eyes fell onto her daughter. Her little angel smiled at her, a big smile, that made her eyes wrinkle slightly.

"Hello my angel" she said without thinking, her throat was dry and scratchy, a straw was held to her lips and there was a murmuring beside her "what?"

"I said how do you feel? Espo has gone to get a nurse, Beckett and Castle are guiding Lanie through the hospital to see you." Her husband said, she craned her neck up at him, he was smiling down at her. Those eyes that had first made her heart flutter were framed by tears.

"I hope those are happy tears because if you start crying then I'll start crying too"

"I think you already are my darling" Ryan traced his fingers over her skin, wiping away the stray tears that had escaped her notice "Now I am too" he laughed, she knew it was a laugh of happiness and relief, she laughed too.

"Hey you guys Lanie is..." Beckett poked her head around the door but both Jenny and Ryan were to busy trying to control their fits of laughter to notice. Even Sarah Grace was wrinkling her forehead in confusion, Castle and Lanie stepped into the room and they all shared a smile. Jenny and Ryan started to catch their breath just in time the, male, nurse pushed past the rest of them and went immediately to Jenny.

"Has somebody already given you drugs ma'am" the nurse asked, he checked Jenny's pulse, blood pressure and IV waiting for her to regain herself.

"No, no, I just found my family again and I couldn't be happier. They are all the drugs I need. Apart from painkillers a few of them would be quite nice, my leg and neck hurts a bit." Jenny replied, she saw no point in trying to hide her pain, after all it hurt why wouldn't she want something to help with that. Ryan gave her a worried look but never pushed her on it, he just kept holding her hand and gripped it tightly. It was as if he thought if he let go she might disappear. Once the nurse checked her over he left to update her doctor, well that was his excuse, Jenny was pretty sure he just wanted to get away from all the smiling people in the room.

"Hey you guys, your staring" Jenny said to her fiends standing at the end of bed, none of them looked away they just continued to smile and she smiled back. She took a deep breath and leant back against her husband's shoulder "oh, I... I haven't thanked you!" She tried to sit up again but Ryan already had his arm around her.

"No problem Jenny" Beckett answered "you should probably know that every officer that was involved is fine."

"Good, okay, I'm just sorry that anyone had to risk their life and get hurt in the first place" she felt Ryan's heart beat faster, his hand squeezed her shoulder protectively, Jenny turned to face him. He couldn't even look at her.

"We'll give you a minute" Lanie said, Beckett picked up Sarah Grace and followed Castle out. Jenny started to move so that she could face Ryan but she couldn't move without hissing or whimpering in pain.

"It's ok I'll move" gently she felt him slide off the bed he paced around for a bit, Jenny knew from experience that if she tried to talk to him while he was pacing he'd just give her one worded answers. He always paced after a hard case or if something was troubling him, heck when she was in hospital with Sarah Grace he made marks on the floor he paced the room so often.

"Why do you look so guilty?" It was a simple question, Jenny didn't feel like she even needed to ask it, because of course it wasn't his fault. It was Tyler, Wes and Chris' fault. Why would her husband even think that he was guilty.

"I left you with those monsters" Those blue eyes looked around the room stopping anyway but on her face "they hurt you Jenny. You have bruises and cuts covering you, ones that I could have prevented! Sarah Grace was not hurt but she could have been. I should be the one lying in that bed!"

"Ryan! For pity's sake sit down" he stopped pacing as soon as she spoke and looked like an injured puppy, she felt guilt creeping in but knew she had to keep a firm tone with him when he was in this state. She raised her eyebrows and pointed opposite her. Ryan obediently sat down, his back against the rail, still not looking at her. "Now, none of this is your fault you, why would you stayed this morning anyway? You didn't know that they were coming and it was you who organised the fleet of cops to come and save me. Don't try to deny it was you, how else would anyone had known that Sarah Grace's window would be open. Plus, I always knew you'd rescue us, I'm not blind to my situation Kevin, I married a cop. Of course someone, eventually, was going to come after me but I always knew that I would have you to save me." She took a deep breath, Ryan was looking at her now with all the love in the world shining in his eyes, she felt her heart swell with love and happiness.

"I love you Jenny"

"I love you Kevin"

They settled onto the bed again, Jenny snuggled against her husband's chest his arms forming a protective wall around her, her head resting in the crease of his shoulder as if it was made for her. This is where she felt safe and at home, it was like a paradise.

**Writer's ramblings**

So next chapter will be the last chapter it will be set a little after this, when Jenny is out of hospital. Please review and as I have had a good response to this fanfic I will be writing more and from a few other randoms.


	16. Chapter 16 the end

Chapter 16

**Jenny**

_9 days later_

It was the day of her escape. Bags packed, bundle of blankets in her car seat and her husband pacing around the room. Jenny was sat on the bed trying to get her coat on which was difficult when her neck twinned and ached every time she moved. The doctors had given her pain killers, which were really fun, but it didn't stop it from hurting like hell.

"Kevin" she groaned, he was wringing his hands now and still pacing "Kevin Ryan!" He stopped abruptly and looked over at her she just wiggled the arm that was stuck in the coat, she felt like a child but it made him smile which was a lovely thing to see.

"Sorry, here I'll help"

"Well I wasn't waving at you for nothing" she smiled up at him, he smiled back and kissed her forehead lightly. "I love you"

"I love you" they stayed in that moment for a few minutes, they had a tradition of not saying I love you more because it would end up being an hour discussion of I love you, I love you more and I love you mosts. Although when it came to Sarah Grace there were a few competitions of who could kiss her the most and get the biggest smile. Right now though Sarah Grace was staring at her parents, the already predicted that we would be one of those kids that said yuck and gross whenever their parents kissed, she just had the look about her.

"Knock knock" Espo appeared in the door way "your carriage awaits and by carriage I mean your car but hey I'm driving so..." Jenny had, had non stop visits from Beckett, Espo and Castle, she loved how they had accepted her so easily into their little group and they had taken such good care of Ryan.

She could see that he wasn't sleeping well but then one day he explained that all 3 of them had come to the house gotten him off the sofa and to bed. They too care of Sarah Grace and tided the house. They even helped fix the bullet holes in the walls.

"Come on let's get out of here, don't know about you but I plan to stay far far away from hospitals for as long as I can" Jenny said she scooted to the edge of her bed, feet carefully on the floor and just as she fell her Prince Charming saved her.

"Steady, you haven't been out of bed in a little while, so let's just take this slowly" on cue Lanie walked in with a wheel chair, sat in it was a teddy bear, balloons were tied to the handles.

"Ah is the patient trying to make a break for it, not so fast" Lanie stood in front of Jenny who was now perched on the bed, Lanie checked her pulse, blood pressure and the condition of her injuries once the doctor was happy she was lifted into the wheelchair by the prince and whisked off to her carriage.

Standing at her own front door Jenny never felt so uncomfortable it was as if she was going into a strangers home not her own. The image of the gun being forced through the crack in the door flashed into her mind and made her stomach turn. Kevin looked equally uncomfortable but opened the door anyway and held it open for her, they both stood there for a little while. Jenny held her head up high and walked through the door, the room had been re-arranged, the table gone and the chairs replaced. Jenny ran her hand over the wall where the bullet holes were only slightly visible, the noise still felt like it was echoing in the room.

Ryan put Sarah Grace to bed, made a honey tea and convinced Jenny to come to bed with him. She settled down under the sheets wearing one of Ryan's hoodies, which swamped her, she snuggled up against her husband and sighed in content as he wrapped his arms around her and held her there until she fell asleep.

….

She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep but it seemed like only 5 minutes. Sweat was trickling down her back and face making her feel like she was drowning. But in her dream she was not drowning, no it was much worse than that, Ryan was being tortured again. The scenario played out before her eyes. Ryan tied to the chair this time, not her, Wez and Chris were pointing guns to his head while Tyler took a knive and started carving into Ryan's skin. Screams were ringing in her ears but she wasn't sure if they were Ryan's or hers then all of a sudden it stopped. There was utter silence. Only Jenny and Ryan were left in the room.

Her husband was sat there blood pooling around him and soaking his clothes. The look in his eyes made Jenny feel uncomfortable, they were usually only filled with love but now they were filled with….. anger, blame and agonising pain.

It was her fault

He was hurt and dying

It was her fault

"JENNY!" her eyes flew open, her body reacted instinctively as she desperately tried to get away from the thing that was holding her down.

"Get off me! GET OFF! Tyler let go of me!" She was screaming and shouting anything to get the monster to let go, in the distance she could hear a baby crying. Then she remembered. She wasn't trapped in a dream she was in reality, with her husband, in their house.

She went still. She felt hands rubbing up and down her arms in comforting gesture and a voice telling her she was alright. Jenny looked up into her husband's eyes and broke down. He pulled her into a hug, gently laying her across his lap, his arms forming a protective barrier around her.

"You're ok now, you're safe, no one will hurt you." Ryan said he ran his fingers through her hair something which always calmed her down. "I promise no one will hurt you, never again."

"What if they hurt you"? Jenny's voice was no more than a whisper but judging by the shift of the body underneath her she knew Ryan had heard her.

"I can't promise that but I can tell you then I will always try my hardest to get home to you and Sarah Grace."

"I love you"

"I love you more"

…

The next morning Jenny woke up after a night of bad dreams. She had barely slept and she knew that Ryan had stayed up most of the night to check she was ok. They were both exhausted.

"Morning" Her husband walked back into the bedroom holding 2 mugs, and judging by the smell they were full of honey tea, her favourite.

"Morning, how's Sarah Grace"

"She's perfectly fine actually apart from the one time she woke up, that was it. She slept like a log." He hadn't mentioned her nightmares or how violently she reacted to them, she appreciated it. Jenny hoped if she ignored the memories they'd eventually go away.

"So you off to work today?" Jenny knew how much Ryan's job meant to her but she also knew that family came first. The fact that he was still in his pyjamas told her that he had no intention of going anywhere but she wanted to act like everything was normal. Like she wasn't scared that if he left bad things would happen.

"I have no intention of going anywhere. I thought we could stay in our pyjamas all day and catch up on TV and watch films. We've got popcorn and tea what else would we need?"

"How about the money you earn from your job?" He shook his head smiling that meant there was no convincing him to go to work, so she stopped trying.

"That sounds lovely. I'll grab Sarah Grace you grab the popcorn." He kissed her on the forehead and disappeared out the door. Jenny took a moment to collect herself leaning her back against the head board, holding her cup of tea.

"Everything is going to be ok."

**Writer's ramblings**

I am so so so so sooooo sorry this took me so long. Never, ever have I ever had such a writer's block and no time to even get ideas down. This is the end of this fanfiction I hoped you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. There is a real sense of accomplishment in writing fanfiction so I will hopefully be jumping back into it once my exams are over, so watch this space. Thank you to everyone who has read this, reviewed it or added it to their favourites it means a lot to me.

I don't own anything


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